Book

‘Aan-Uit’ (On-Off)is a delicate monograph of hand printed and -bound dry points about the journey of a relationship, its break-up and eventually the awakening of a new sense of self, using compounds and idioms.

‘Aan-Uit’ is a visual and textual journey about the despair of loss and separation that makes you go through the depth of yourself and pushing you to a whole new level. When you loose somebody you reconnect with life and can somehow see ‘the bigger picture’. By using idioms and combining separate words, that - when combined together form a whole new meaning, the artist creates an interesting dialogue between text&image: the compounds and the powerful, simplified images.

In her Dutch native language ‘Aan-Uit’ (On-Off) refers to the beginning & end of a relationship but also the metaphor of a light switch: when something is being switched off, automatically something else will switch on (a thought, an idea). ‘Aan-uit (On-Off) is often used in Dutch compounds, (like oncomingor offensive) for example ‘aanpassen’ means ‘to adapt’ or ‘uitstekend’ means ‘excellent’ but ‘stekend’ by itself means ‘stinging’, referring to the hurt caused by loss/loneliness. The previous break-up of a relationship and the experience of losing an older sister suffuses Tisna’s work with warmth and a sense of the precariousness and fragility of what we treasure. But most of all it highlights the hidden treasure: “When the heart weeps because it has lost, the spirit laughs because it has found.” This 1 off artist book is hardcover, bound in black Irish book cloth with silkscreened and blind embossed titling. The collection of dry points is printed on Japanese paper which enhances the delicacy of the subject matter.